I Thought I'd Come So Far, But Maybe I Was Wrong
by Princess Sammi
Summary: A series of 10 one-shots, inspired by a different one-worded prompt word, that shows how Constance Hardbroom is still very much under the influence of Heckitty Broomhead. Ch3 - 'Fine.'
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Worst Witch.' **

**A/N: Hi folks. **

**This is just an idea that came into my mind, it's a series of 10 short drabbles/one-shots that have each been inspired by a one-worded prompt and the way it worked out, the letter 'F' will be sponsoring all prompt words. The drabbles/one-shots are individual but do all very loosely co****nnect to one another. I've so far got one and a half written, but I do have all my prompt words sorted which is further than I usually get on the planning side of things, lol.**

**Whilst it is fresh in my mind (as I have the memory of a sieve) to anyone who reviewed 'Just The Girl In The Mirror' I haven't yet replied to, I do apologise and give my profuse thank you, here and now. :) **

* * *

**Chapter 1  
**

**Freedom**

Her shaky legs nearly buckled under the weight of her emotions as she stepped over the threshold of witch training college and back into a world far less evil than the prison of hell where she had spent the past four years of her life.

She had done it; she had survived...

It was something that more than once she had considered to be impossible; just a dream, nothing but a mere fantasy with little chance of it ever coming to fruition. It was something that more than once, to her shame, she had not considered as favourable; occasionally wishing for death to just take her in its grasp and end her suffering, because anything..**._anything_** had to be better than being in _**that**_ place for even a second longer.

Now...

...now it did not matter. None of it mattered. Now it was over. Now the end was in sight; now there was light at the end of the tunnel and she felt...

...she did not know how she felt.

It just didn't seem real, none of it did, it felt more like an illusion; a cruel trick on her tutors part, merely another way for her to toy with her prey but it was real, and she was having trouble getting her head around that fact and processing the knowledge that after what felt like a lifetime, everything was finally going to change, and for the better, she hoped.

Her mind was a complete whir; a whole cauldron of tumultuous emotions bubbling away ferociously inside of her and the fire, fire that had once been dampened and nearly extinguished, was now burning away fiercely; burning with a new-found hope.

Hope.

It was something she had struggled to cling to over the years, her optimism shrinking day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, as she had waited for the end.

The end was never in sight...

* * *

She suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, convinced that she was not alone; there was a feeling of uneasiness tingling in her spine, telling her that she was being watched. Cautiously she spun round on her heel, and with her spell-casting fingers at the ready, she was prepared to defend herself against anything untoward that she might be about to encounter, but there was no one there.

The forest clearing was completely deserted, yet she remained unconvinced as her instincts screamed out at her on red alert. Her eyes scanned the surrounding area but they could see nothing, her ears listened out for any little sound; the snap of a twig, the breath of another, but there was nothing to be seen. Nothing to be heard. Nothing to be found. She stood for a few minutes more, not even daring to breathe, before she relented and continued on her way, looking behind her every so often and eventually putting her feeling down to a highly active paranoia, developed over her time at witch training college.

She suppressed a small shiver at even the memory.

The whole place just gave her the creeps; there was something about it, something so unnaturally evil...

Her only goal for the time being was to get as far away as possible as she could from that place, as fast as she could, and never to return.

Never Ever.

In a vain attempt to try to distract herself, she tried to concentrate on the positive emotions that she was experiencing, trying to pick them out from her jumbled thoughts, but she still couldn't explain what she was feeling; there were just no words.

Was it relief?

Was it excitement?

Was it hope?

Or was it simply freedom?

...free; she was free.

It was something she had longed for, for as long as she could remember, praying to whichever deity that might have been listening that the day would soon come. Yet the days had gone by so slowly, practically dragging in, the sands of time trickling away little by little and then seeming to stop in mid-flow.

Eventually she had given up.

Eventually she had lost count: days, weeks, months, years; everything blurred together, meshing into one large pit of darkness and misery as she had fallen deeper. Each beating and vicious onslaught knocking her down further and further to the depths of despair; each time she had found it harder and harder to find the strength to crawl back up on her feet, both physically and mentally, but now...

She was free.

She was finally free.

Now she was able to cast off the iron shackles that she'd been chained in for so long. Now she was able to spread her wings and fly.

No longer would she have to spend every waking moment of her existence just trying to survive under the radar of her tyrannical tutor, no longer would she have to spend every second of every day trying to please her; working herself beyond the point of exhaustion just to succeed – and failing every time. For nothing she did was ever good enough and it never would be. No longer would she be criticised, belittled, beaten and broken, day in day out.

No longer would she have to fear for her life.

A small smile found its way across her features.

She was free...

...and she had a future.

Maybe she had won after all?

* * *

As she left the last of the grounds, she had failed to notice the two snake-like eyes watching her from the shadows; hidden from sight in between the greenery of the trees. If she had, she would have seen the figure standing there; she would have seen the smirk that slowly spread across the owners face and she would have noticed the faint sparks of magic travelling through the air and encircling her before they dissipated.

The tracking spell was in place.

If Constance Hardbroom thought she could run forever, then she was seriously mistaken.

* * *

**A/N: I hope that was okay. The next one will be 'Fear.' :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Worst Witch'**

**A/N: Thank you to those who have reviewed this fic. I finally got around to writing this chapter since I figured I may as well make use of the bank holiday and having a day off. :)**

**Just a note to remember that these are all individual little one-shots set across certain periods of time. I suppose you could call them little snapshots of scenes? Most link in with the two episodes from the series, and as a whole they do - in theory- very loosely tie together with a nice silver ribbon. :)  
**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**Fear **

Sliding the lock on the door and hearing the reassuring sound as it clicked into place, she let out a shuddery breath and stood with her back up against the door; her brown eyes closing as she desperately tried to remain in control and her legs turning to jelly underneath her as they refused to support her weight. It felt like the day had lasted for a lifetime but now she was finally safe to hide out in the sanctity of her own room; away from the prying eyes and whispers, she had dealt with all day, when they had thought that she was not there or could not hear them.

The trouble was she did not feel safe, not in the slightest.

The ticking from the clock echoed around the room in a tune of mocking triumph, satisfied in knowing that time could not be stopped nor manipulated. The sands of time would continue to pour away, trickling little by little, grain by grain, until they would be no more. The time would soon come and with it bring her day of judgement.

It was a thought that made her feel sick.

* * *

Her normally impressive stature seemed to disappear and she had never looked as small as she perched herself on the edge of the bed, her shoulders drooping as her posture slumped. The revelation of the day had exhausted her and exhausted the pretence, drudging up memories and provoking thoughts she thought she had buried many years ago, but to no avail. It seemed that the past never stayed buried for long and hers was about to rear its ugly head once more, in the form of her former tutor from witch training college...

She was unable to keep her hand from shaking as she raised the glass of water to her lips in an attempt to quell her recent onset of nausea, the glass clinking against her teeth under the vibrations from her unsteady hand.

Constance Hardbroom could never be accused as a woman who scared easily. Nothing ever seemed to faze her and she was never** ever** one to back down from putting herself in danger – especially if her own life came at the expense of saving others, but even she had her breaking point; an Achilles heel, and hers came in the form of Mistress Heckitty Broomhead.

Even after all these years, the mere mention of the name alone was still enough to send her into a state of frenzy. She was still plagued with haunting, nightmares of those snake-like eyes that bore into her own; a simple glance that could somehow reach deep into her soul and tear everything from it, leaving her nothing but an empty and broken shell; a perfect little carbon copy of her puppeteer, just like the rest of them...

...and yet so different.

She had been unfortunate; she had been singled out; she had been the tyrant's so called 'protégée.'

She had been cursed.

* * *

The revelation of tomorrow's inspection and most specifically, the identity of the inspector had completely floored her; it was the last thing she had ever expected. All day her usually logical mind had slowly been coming undone, as she had struggled to hold it together, fighting a losing battle against herself to contain the barrage of emotions that were threatening to burst from the dam and shatter her usual air of confidence and control.

Truthfully, her reaction in the staffroom earlier that day had been nothing. It had just been an immediate reaction; an instant reflex as her usual thoughts associated with her ex-tutor's name had voiced their presence, but since then, the true depth of the news had been working its way into her mind, twisting itself into the contours, and now...

...it was finally beginning to sink in...

Her whole body shook as her emotions took hold, past memories flashing before her eyes like a film reel and her own screams reverberating in her head as she relived the past so vividly it was like it was happening all over again right in that very moment.

The glass fell from her grasp, the water sloping over the flagstone and the glass shattering, the shards flying through the air, before landing on the flagstone like broken pieces of a mosaic.

* * *

The sound of smashing glass broke into her thoughts, snapping her out of her reverie and bringing her back to the present. It was at that point the clock chimed: the passing of the hour bringing her one step closer to her worst nightmare coming true; the period of time remaining was growing shorter and shorter by the minute, as the doomsday deadline neared and, like the time would, her options ran out.

It did not matter how many times she tried lying to herself, convincing herself that this time things would be different and that she could handle Heckitty Broomhead, in fact, she could more than handle Heckitty Broomhead, because she couldn't even draw the conviction to say it, let alone believe her own words, so how could she possibly fool anyone else? More importantly how could she fool the very monster herself?

Despite her great power, she felt like a child again: defenceless and scared, she was more scared than anyone would ever know and she could tell no one. Once again, the dark secrets were her own to carry; the burden falling on her narrow shoulders and she felt like she was suffocating underneath the weight of them.

She just wanted to cry.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she felt her emotions flood to the surface and, just like the glass had done previously, the mask fell and shattered to the ground. Hot salty tears outwith her control stung her eyes and smudged her mascara as they trailed down her cheeks, tainting her porcelain complexion and leaving a mark; staining the perfectionism she worked so hard to portray.

The iron cage buckled as the resident ice-queen melted to a puddle on the floor and cried the tears she had not shed for years as she silently pleaded with whichever deity listening just to make it all go away.

* * *

There was a paranoia she had not felt since her days of witch training college slowly creeping into her mind and festering away inside of her. It was making her suspicious and mistrustful of everything around her; in her eyes, everything was out to get her.

Glancing at the clock again, her vision blurred by tears, she noticed how it seemed to be toying with her. The hours were passing by too quickly yet seemed to be dragging in at exactly the same time; each second ticking by at an agonisingly slow pace, seemingly determined to prolong her suffering for as long as it possibly could whilst it ticked away, basking in glee at her obvious turmoil.

'Tick tock...tick tock.'

The flame from the candle flickered, its movement creating shadows as it danced its way across the wall, twisting and turning, this way and that, reaching out like a hand ready to grab in her in its tight clutches.

'Tick tock...tick tock.'

Digging her nails into the palm of her hand and drawing blood, she tried to focus on the pain and block out everything else. She did not want to acknowledge that as time passed the hour ticked closer. The hour where she would have no choice but to confront a past she had tried so hard to run from and with it a woman who had haunted her for as long as she could remember and who would no doubt continue to, until her dying day.

'Tick tock...tick tock.'

She did not want to acknowledge it, yet her mind could think of nothing else as she stared at the blank wall in front of her, lost in a trance, going over it again and again; obsessing over every little detail to the point of triggering a near panic attack as she envisioned scenario after scenario, with every image her throat constricting and her heart rate spiking that bit higher as fear flooded through her veins like ice.

Tick tock...tick tock.'

She knew she couldn't leave the academy and leave them to deal with Broomhead. It would be selfish, she knew that. She knew that she **shouldn't** leave as it would no doubt fall into Broomhead's talons, and that was the last thing she wanted, but at the same time she really didn't know if she had the mental strength to stay.

'Tick tock...tick tock.'

* * *

The sands of time continued to pour but time was running out and soon a choice would have to be made.

To fight or to flight?

* * *

**A/N: Here's hoping that read as it's meant to. Chapter 3 will be 'Fine.' :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Worst Witch'**

**A/N: Hello! Its been a while, yes, but I've finally found some time to write the third of my series. *Yay* If anyone is still reading, lol, hopefully chapter 4- which if I remember my notes, should be 'Failure' - won't be as long a wait. :)  
**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_**Fine**_

Her hand hovered over the door handle with a seeming reluctance to enter the room.

Chastising herself for her cowardice, she took one final breath, in a bid to keep her composure intact, before she reached out for it again. This time her grip was much more forceful out of a fear she would change her mind, and turning the knob she strolled into the staffroom with a bundle of folders tucked neatly under her arm. The confidence practically exuded from her and to look at her you would never have been able to sense the terror that was currently bubbling through her veins; hidden beneath the surface.

Almost immediately, she could feel the kind eyes of her superior on her and could feel the overwhelming concern that was emanating from the older witch and had been since yesterday morning, since the reveal. Up until now, she had more or less managed to avoid her. Pretending instead to find some task to busy herself with or inventing excuse after excuse anytime Amelia had tried to talk to her about the reaction she had had in the staffroom upon hearing Heckitty Broomhead's name and had tried to gently press for the reason behind it, but now she could avoid it no longer.

The day of judgement she had dreaded since leaving witch training college was almost upon her and the events of the past was not a conversation she was prepared to have just mere hours before her former tutor was set to arrive, if ever.

After all, where and more importantly how would she even begin such a conversation...?

The words failed her and the thought alone terrified her. It more than terrified her. The idea of having such a conversation, of imparting such horrors, of dragging everything back up from where she had buried it...

No.

Yet, that kindly gaze remained upon her.

It was a simple action and a rather discreet one too; there was no exchange of words between the two, merely a silent understanding. It was a conversation that shook her defences, threatening the very foundations of pretence she had built, weakening her resolve and leaving her teetering precariously on the edge, just awaiting that final push before she toppled and fell, but for a moment, just one fleeting moment, the child in her took comfort in that gaze.

Having someone care about her was still such a foreign concept; it was something she didn't think she would ever get used to, having been denied such a luxury for such a big part of her earlier years. The little girl in her took solace in the affection being directed towards her but to look at her, you would never have guessed.

There was nothing.

Not even a flicker of emotion was present and her hardened eyes gave nothing away, except from an empty gaze.

They couldn't afford to.

She couldn't allow for anything to shake her focus, for anything to distract her; it just wasn't an option. Somehow, she had to survive through the next few hours of the day - a day that was sure to drag by so slowly it would feel as if time had just stopped. The task ahead was by no means an easy one and it was taking every ounce of strength; mental, emotional and physical, that she possessed to continue to stand there and play the part and not to just drop the bundle of papers on the floor there and then, disappear into thin air and never return._  
_

She'd be lying if she said she hadn't considered it.

In fact, she'd by lying if she said she wasn't still considering it right at that moment.

Her mouth was dry and she felt absolutely sick from a combination of nerves and fear and it was only worsening as her emotional turmoil heightened and the hour came upon her. She had sat for hours the night before and hadn''t slept a wink; instead she had simply watched as the hands of the clock had ticked round and around, watching as time had passed, as the hour had neared and with every second she had spent watching those hands it had made her head spin. A hurricane spinning through it as it had thrown everything up into the air, causing confusion and leaving her with a dilemma; a choice and even now, in the moment, she still wasn't 100% sure that she'd made the right one.

_'Should I have ran when I had the chance?' _

_'No, Constance. Stop it! You are not going there...'_

There was still time to leave, technically, she still could but if she were to then she would never forgive herself and Amelia, dear sweet Amelia, Amelia who had treated her like a daughter from day one - after everything she had done for her, how could she possibly just throw it back in her face like that? How could she abandon the school; her home, when they needed her most?

The answer was she couldn't.

It was the right thing to do._  
_

"Good morning, headmistress"

"Good morning, Constance."

Silence fell and it hung between them, the words were in the air; desperate to be voiced but neither could utter the first word. Their eyes met but Constance stared her out, forcing Amelia to break eye-contact under the intensity of the glare coming from the younger witch. She sighed, almost inaudibly and pretended to be adjusting the papers on her desk, her fingers playing with the edges, as she struggled to find the right words to ask the question she wanted answered.

Amelia had promised herself that she wouldn't ask but she couldn't take it any longer. She opened her mouth but the words never came out for Constance knew what the words were going to be before they had even left her employer's mouth; erasing the need for the question to be asked in the first place._  
_

"I'm fine." she answered, calmly.

Lies.

It all lies.

She was far from fine; she knew it and she knew that everybody else knew it too but still the words slipped from her tongue with a perfect ease._  
_

'I'm fine', it was her go-to phrase; a defence mechanism built up over the years. It was a way of stopping the questions, a way of silencing the truths that threatened to spill from her lips and dismissing concern when the pain in her eyes couldn't fully be disguised. It was her way of maintaining a strong front whilst she crumbled inside; it was her way of surviving...

...and those words, used so frequently and executed with such precision, were almost believable...almost.

* * *

**_She practically crawled out of the office, finally granted a reprieve from one of Heckitty Broomhead's 'little chats.' Those 'chats' were Heckitty code for an unrelenting torture. One designed to instil discipline...allegedly. Just over a week, she had now been at witch training college and she had already sustained more injuries in that short space of time than in her entire life, thus far. _**

**_Her every nerve ending was on fire; every muscle screaming out in agony at the even the slightest movement, fresh waves crashing over her with every step she took, making the short walk down the corridor seem more like a marathon - one she was never going to finish. _**

_**Still, she knew she had better move sharpish before anyone clocked the state she was in and had a chance to get suspicious.** _

_**She started down the corridor, being sure to keep her head down so as to avoid eye-contact with anyone she passed. It was a tactic that was working – until she walked face first into someone and sent both herself and them crashing to the floor. She was frozen to the spot for a few minutes before she slowly looked up, terror running through her veins as she prayed to whoever was listening, that she had not just crashed into her personal tutor. Luck was on her side. **_

_**For once.  
**_

_**She breathed an internal sigh of relief upon coming face-to-face with Miss Pondweed, her spells tutor. **_

_**"I'm so, so sorry." She garbled as she quickly got to her feet to help her tutor up, ignoring her body as her muscles screamed out in protest and trying to control her vision as the floor dipped and swayed beneath her feet.** _

_**The woman, who was clearly about to chastise her, stopped herself as she took as closer look at her student.**_

_**"Are you alright, dear?" The concern in her voice was apparent.**_

_**Constance looked at her with watery eyes "...I'm- she-"** _

_**She broke off abruptly as soon as she noticed that Heckitty was making her way up the corridor and was heading towards them. **_

_**"Ah, Miss Pondweed. I've been looking for you; can I please have a word?"**_

_**"Certainly, Heckitty."**_

_**As she ushered the teacher into her office her eyes met with Constance, making one thing quite clear to the young witch.**_

_**She was in big trouble.**_

* * *

_**After what seemed like forever, and after a never-ending trek through the college halls, she reached her room and struggling with the catch a little, finally managed to slide it across and she was no sooner through the door, when she practically fell.**_

**_Throwing a hand out and against the wall to steady herself, she wrapped the other around her aching ribs and bit down hard on her lip, silencing the screams that were threatening to escape as she managed to straighten up._ _She turned around, with the intention of going to the bathroom to try to clean herself up a bit, when all of a sudden, the air around her got cold; very cold._ **

**_She barely had time to react and she felt the wind knocked clear out of her as she was slammed into the wall and pinned up against it. _**

**_Heckitty ignored her whimpers and cries as she grabbed for her wrist; twisting it up behind her back._ **

_**"Who's going to believe you?" The word 'you' was practically spat, making the young girl feel even more worthless than she currently felt.**_

**_She said nothing._**

**_"Hmm? ...and even for some mad reason if someone did...do you know what they would think?" Her grip tightened as her sharp nails dug into the young skin, breaking it and drawing blood. "They would just think that you were a useless, pathetic witch...a disgrace to her craft."_**

**_Constance shook her head, tears starting to stream down her cheeks from the pain; from Heckitty's words; from feeling so alone._**

_**"Oh yes," The tone was sickeningly sweet and tinged with a hint of malice. "...and then nobody would want anything to do with you."**_

_**"That's not true."**_

_**"Do you really want to risk that?"**_

_**"N-n- no." she whimpered.**_

_**"N-n-no." The tyrannical tutor echoed, mocking her charge.**_

_**"I've warned you about that infernal stuttering, girl!"**_

**_Heckitty's grip tightened again; so strong that she felt the circulation leave her arm. "When someone asks if you are alright, what do you tell them?"_**

**_"I'm-" The rest of the sentence was lost as it came out an inaudible squeak."_**

**_"You've got until 3."_**

**_"One..."_**

**_"Two..."_**

**_ "Thr-"_**

_**"I'm fine," she choked out the words, internally pleading for her to stop "I tell them that I'm fine." **_

_**"Just make sure you do because believe me girl, you don't want to even know what will happen if you EVER tell them any different!"**_

* * *

"Constance, are-"

"I'm fine, Amelia. Really, I'am."

_'I have to be.'_


End file.
